Politics & Government

City Council Eyes Raise for Mayor

The salary for the Woburn mayor is much lower than other nearby communities.

A proposal before the Woburn City Council would increase the mayor’s salary immediately by $20,000 and then $10,000 each year until 2017.

The council agreed that the mayor’s salary should be increased. The question is how to go about increasing it. Does the council increase it now or wait until the end of Mayor Scott Galvin’s term? That’s what the City Council discussed at its last meeting, reported the Daily Times Chronicle

The proposal would increase the mayor’s current $73,000 salary to $93,000 immediately and then to:

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  • $103,000 on July 1, 2015
  • $113,000 on July 1, 2016
  • $123,000 on July 1, 2017

 

The mayor’s position hasn’t received a raise since 2000 and supporters of raising the salary said the Woburn mayor is getting more than $20,000 less than “any other community of comparable size.” The salary would still be under the amount given to many town managers and town administrators in the area.

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It’s also “lower than the increases received by other Woburn employees during the past 14 years,” according to the council’s resolution.

It’s a matter of fairness and getting qualified mayoral candidates, said supporters of the increase. 

"I agree the mayor's salary had been underfunded for years, and I'd support a tier type of adjustment, but I can't support a 30 percent increase for anything in the city right now," said Ward 2 Alderman Richard Gately, reported the Daily Times Chronicle.

"It's a matter of fairly compensating someone for the work they do," said Ward 7 Alderman Raymond Drapeau. "The mayor has to manage .. crises, the budget and personnel. We've had other mayors who have gone to Florida for the whole winter, but this mayor understands the job has evolved into a full-time position."

The City Council approved to refer the mater to the Committee on Ordinances.


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